Saturday, November 26, 2011

Giving More Thanks

Thanksgiving is still going on here.  Our sons had other obligations to attend with their girlfriends, so I decided to throw what constitutes a 'feast' around here (chicken, not turkey, but no one protested) on Friday night instead.  I wasn't going to insist they all come here on the holiday itself;  couldn't see them having to eat at three (or four) different houses all in one day.  Friday worked out just great, and Ann and Grandma Lucille were here, too.  Everyone had fun and us four old folks played Sheepshead until 1AM.  We have one more Thanksgiving feast to attend on Sunday and we'll be done overeating for awhile.  (Until Christmas.)

Speaking of giving thanks, I received the nicest surprise the other day from a dear blogging friend, Sue, who lives in England.  Sue writes a wonderful blog, My Garden & Me.   Before I came to know her I was always so nervous when she visited my little garden blog because Sue is, after all, a True English Gardener.  If anyone would know what an English Cottage  looks like, it would be Sue!

She's been cheering on our progress building the stone house with the rest of you kind people, too and I can't tell you how much we've appreciated it.
Me, back in October, hammering away.
 Sue knows how much we love rocks around here and wrote me to say she was sending us something from her home to ours.   When the box arrived, I was so excited.   Look what was inside:
 A Genuine English Rock 
Look at this beauty, isn't it just the most perfect rock you've ever seen?  It's white with a pale pink stripe and so incredibly smooth.  I've never seen another rock like it.  I love it sited right on the edge of the Quarry.  It fits right in, it's the accent we always needed there.  We placed our new rock horizontally and vertically, it works either way, such a versatile specimen!


From any angle, Sue's rock is so striking.  Look at how it fits in with our Iceberg Rock in the background, too.

Can you imagine what the postage must have been to send a rock this size all the way from England?  And I wonder how Sue found a box it would fit in?  I imagine there were some grumbles from the postal carriers on both sides of the pond.  After all, rocks are very heavy.  We can use this rock in so many different ways here.  It's truly a gem in the landscape; the pictures prove that.

But the One Place this rock would add so much authenticity to is:


(you guessed it) Castle Aaargh.

If we mortar Sue's rock into Aaargh, we could say the structure contains rock imported from England.  We wouldn't feel silly or too big for our britches calling it a 'castle' then...... after all, Sue's rock is from the Land of Castles.  (And Monty Python.)

My heartfelt thanks to Sue for her generous addition to our garden; she has given us a true gem which can fit in the most amazing places, be it the Quarry or Castle Aaargh.   England must be a magical place, just like the Harry Potter series led me to believe.

This rock has magical properties, too. 

It can even fit in the palm of my hand!

Thank you again, dear Sue, for sending us this authentic piece of England.

Castle Aaargh thanks you, too, for the right to bear the name.

It's a much better title than..........

 Zoot: Welcome, brave sir Knight. Welcome to the Castle Anthrax.
Sir Galahad: The Castle Anthrax?
Zoot: Yes... it's not a very good name, is it? Oh, but we are nice, and we'll attend to your every need.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/quotes?qt=qt0470622



18 comments:

El Gaucho said...

Oh my goodness that made me laugh. Mailing rocks from England? That's how you really know you have a rock obsession. And very neat of your friend to send it to you, no matter the hilarious absurdity of it all.

Junebug said...

What a special gift. This just proves how wonderful our blog friends are. Love the rock! Hugs!

www,FarmLifeLessons.blogspot.com said...

Awesome story and yes you now have possession of castle matter!!

I think to incorporate it into the structure is brilliant and would add a beautiful element to your story-telling with visitors.

Your pictures cracked me up; it's amazing how perspective can make an object appear different from it's real scale. Good, creative photography!! I often do this as I stand BEHIND my husband and at an angle so that he will appear much larger than me and I smaller!! It's a huge joke in our family.

We had a big gathering at our house for Thanksgiving, smaller than usual, but our kids are also approaching the age of your kids to where they will not have time to be here and there all at once. And, I don't want the holdiday time to be stressful. One time, we had Christmas In January to alleviate these pressures and it was tremendously relaxing.

Love that rock!! What a nice friend to be so thoughtful!

Lana

Alison said...

What a wonderful friend to send you a rock! From England. Actually, I once mailed some rocks from Massachusetts to Texas. It was a very silly thing to do.

Glad you had a good Thanksgiving!

Indie said...

How sweet of your friend! It will be awesome to have a true English rock as part of the castle!

Pamela Gordon said...

That is so funny. I thought you'd actually found a huge egg shaped rock then I had to read more carefully your story to see it's the size of a real egg. Amazing what placement and photography can do. I think it's a very special rock from a thoughtful friend in England. Maybe we should all send you a rock to add to the castle! LOL Pamela

Lona said...

What a wonderful thing for her to do. I bet you were all excited. I know how you love your rocks. It needs a spot in the Castle. I am glad to hear you had a nice Thanksgiving.

Sue said...

What a great rock---I think it will be a wonderful addition to the rock house!

Darla said...

Well I'll be dipped in peanut butter! This is just about the sweetest blog gift I have seen and there are a lot of sweet/generous bloggers out here....

Anonymous said...

I collect rocks from everywhere I go, a hobby started from my archeologist, world traveling grandmother. My grandmother would send me rocks and some very cool stuff from Egypt and other dig locations, and I would look forward to these seemingly meaningless gifts with great anticipation and joy. So if anybody knows how you felt about your rock it is me. I am so envious of you and your rock right now. What a great gift you received.

eileeninmd said...

Just blog hopping and found your lovely blog. I love your landscaped yard and the pond. Very pretty. Congrats on your lovely rock from England, it is very nice. Have a Happy Sunday.

GirlSprout said...

I love rocks, too. My dad is a geologist and got me hooked on looking at rocks. I try not to collect to many! Sounds like you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Cheers to Sue.

HolleyGarden said...

Oh, it looks fabulous and will be a fine addition to your castle. And I love that it will be authentically 'made from English stone'. :) How sweet of her to know just exactly what your castle needed!

Beth at PlantPostings said...

The Monte Python troupe would be proud! I chuckled while reading this. Enjoy your new rock--a wonderful addition to your Quarry or Castle Aaargh. :)

Anonymous said...

The lady duth maketh me blush with such kind words.;O) Rock looks very at home in your garden. Love the photos.

Take care my friend
Suebx

africanaussie said...

you had me taken in with those first photos - glad your castle is now taken on British characteristics.

Karen said...

Mortaring Sue's rock into Castle Aaargh will be a momentous occasion and one marked by a post all of it's own!

Rosemary said...

Karen again you bring a smile..... love Sue's rock of England.